OLD TOWN CLAYTON NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

July 28, 2017

“The following is a public message that was emailed to Clayton School District subscribers. This information is also available at http://www.claytonschools.netJuly 28, 2017: The School District of Clayton has entered into a contract to sell the Maryland School property to Centene Corporation (NYSC: CNC). The agreement was finalized earlier this week. Centene is planning to use the building to house its Centene University, which will offer its flagship leadership development program to Centene employees. It will also house its early childhood development center for employees’ children. While significant rehabilitation of the building is needed, Centene is committed to minimizing disruption to the extent possible to the immediate community.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to preserve this historic building and maintain it as a place for education for our employees and their children,” said Michael F. Neidorff, Chairman, President and CEO for Centene. “This site has been vacant for many years and is in decay. We look forward to bringing life back into the building.”

The District recently put the Maryland School back on the market and received seven offers to buy and one offer to lease the property. The Board of Education voted unanimously to move forward with Centene’s proposal.

“Preserving the historic William B. Ittner building was something we knew was important to the surrounding community,” explained Board of Education President Kristin Redington. “Centene’s proposal not only preserves the building but their vision also maintains the overall character of the site. Furthermore, their offer allowed the Board to make a fiscally-responsible decision that will provide both short- and long-term revenue to support our schools.”

The District last used Maryland School as an elementary school in 1980. Since being closed as an elementary school, the school has been rented to a private pre-school/elementary school and used as a temporary site for both District’s early childhood program and The Wilson School. Terms of the contract (including sale price) cannot be disclosed until both parties have closed on the sale and the transaction is final.

About Centene CorporationCentene Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, is a diversified, multi-national healthcare enterprise that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored healthcare programs, focusing on under-insured and uninsured individuals. Many receive benefits provided under Medicaid, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD), Foster Care and Long Term Care (LTC), in addition to other state-sponsored programs, Medicare (including the Medicare prescription drug benefit commonly known as "Part D"), as well as programs with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Centene operates local health plans and offers a range of health insurance solutions. It also contracts with other healthcare and commercial organizations to provide specialty services including behavioral health management, care management software, correctional healthcare services, dental benefits management, in-home health services, life and health management, managed vision, pharmacy benefits management, specialty pharmacy and telehealth services.

About the School District of ClaytonAs a public school system dedicated to the education of all children who come to its schools, the School District of Clayton inspires each of its students to love learning and embrace challenge within a rich and rigorous academic culture. The District’s early childhood center, three elementary schools, middle school and high school serve a diverse student body of approximately 2,600.”

July 22, 2017

Dave Cooperstein would like to update our neighborhood regarding the property renovation at 7701 Maryland. New architects from Clayton's Patterhn-Ives, llc have been hired to help meet the project's budget. They have come up with a fantastic, potentially beautiful new scheme, that handles the site in a slightly different way. It is believed that there are a number of elements of the site design that will be even MORE appealing to the adjacent neighbors.
There will be coffee and dessert available, and a question/answer session will follow the presentation. Mark your calendars and bring your neighbors on August 3rd.

May 24, 2017

The Clayton Board of Education will be meeting to discuss (not vote) on the Maryland School property. Everyone is encouraged to attend and help spread the word. A large turnout could impact their discussion.

Chris Tennill, Chief Communications Officer from the Clayton School District, would like to invite residents toprovide high-level feedback from our Old Town community about options for next steps with the Maryland School property. They would like to hear from members of the Old Town Clayton Neighborhood Association, particularly those who live close to Maryland School, about their thoughts for the future use of the property. This, along with the survey that was sent out last week, will be one of several data points the Board of Education will use to make a decision about next steps for the property. Another link to the survey is below for those of you who want to take it.

Share Your Thoughts on the Future of the Maryland School Property

The District last used Maryland School as an elementary school in 1980. Since being closed as an elementary school, the school and its grounds have been used as: rental property to a private preschool/elementary school (Clayton Academy), a temporary site for the District’s early childhood education program during construction and a temporary home for The Wilson School after a fire. A sale of the property fell through last year when the buyer could not obtain the necessary rezoning.

The survey will ask you to evaluate the following four options as well as provide you with an opportunity to suggest your own ideas. The options on the survey, which are based on options developed by the District's Long-Term Financial Planning Committee, include:

Renovate the building for potential future use by the District or an outside entity.

Make only needed repairs to the building and retain the entire property for potential future use.

Sell the six out-lots (for single-family homes). Retain the remaining two acres for potential future use. This would include razing the building, creating green space with the remaining two acres, which could be used for potential future use or eventually sold for single family homes.

April 13, 2017

The City of Clayton would like to invite you to join the Parks & Recreation Commission at their next meeting on Monday, May 1st at 6:00 pm in Hanley Park. The Commission will discuss potential plans for the newly acquired property on the west side of the park as well as gather any suggestions you might have to improve the park. They will meet by the Pavilion (weather permitting) or inside if necessary. In particular, they would like to discuss the location for a gate on the west end of the property as well as a path to connect that entrance to the other paths in the park.

If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like to provide input please feel free to contact Patty DeForrest, Director of Parks & Recreation at pdeforrest@claytonmo.gov or 314-290-8464.

The Board of Education will be discussing future options for the Maryland School property at their meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29. These options range from keeping the property as is to selling it all for single family housing to selling a portion of the property and razing the building, with a few others in between.

Following all presentations, there will be a comments and question
session and attendance prize announcements. You must be present to win.Don’t miss this opportunity to attend our
neighborhood’s popular and informative event!

If you haven’t already joined our free neighborhood network on NextDoor,com,
I encourage you to do so. I invite you to check it out at https://nextdoor.com/invite/nvfqymwxyjhxqeckpcrdTo date, we have 217 Old Town residents
signed up as members.Ask your neighbors
how they like it.

Let
me know in advance if you have any particular talking points you want
addressed at our meeting by our city officials. Thanks!

Are you interested in local history? The Clayton Century Foundation is seeking volunteers
to help interpret our local history. Open to the public on June 1st, the Clayton Heritage
Center for Historical Research located in the lobby of the Center of Clayton will be a
wonderful asset to our community.

Volunteers are essential in order to sharing this important resource with our friends
and neighbors. And it's our goal to make volunteering as enjoyable for you as it is
valuable for us.

If you have enthusiasm, good customer service skills, enjoy history and exploring cultural
organizational environments and are a lifelong learner, then volunteering at the Heritage
Center may be for you.

We seek volunteers from diverse backgrounds to help tell the story of all Claytonians.
From greeting visitors to working behind the scenes, every volunteer brings meaning to
the work that they do.

Please email CCF History or leave message
at (314) 467-0712 to register as a volunteer and attend this special training event.

March 2, 2016

March 2, 2016 - From the Clayton School District eNews Special Edition:

Love Investment Company (Love) has terminated
its contract to purchase the Maryland School property from the School
District of Clayton. The proposed Maryland School Town Homes
development, which had its re-zoning petition denied by Clayton's Plan
Commission a few weeks ago, would have generated about $400,000 of new
annual tax revenue. Love's plans for the project included building 25
attached, luxury, single-family townhomes on the property.

"We appreciate the effort Love put forth in attempting to make this
project happen as it represented the highest and best use for that
property, and we respect and understand their decision," said Chief
Financial Officer Mary Jo Gruber. "In terms of next steps for the
property, the Board of Education will continue to evaluate options for
the Maryland School property and will keep the community updated as they
move through that process."

February 23, 2016

Kol Rinah, a Conservative Jewish congregation of St. Louis, would like
to invite the Old Town Clayton Neighborhood Association to an Informational Meeting and Q&A
regarding their proposed development of the property at 7701 Maryland Ave, Clayton, MO (currently occupied by the Journey
church).

Kol Rinah is undergoing their due diligence on a contract for the
property, and is preparing to submit their plans for development to the Clayton
Planning and Zoning Board for review.The leadership of the congregation would like to spend approximately 60
minutes with the Neighborhood Association, addressing the following items:

Who is Kol
Rinah, and why are we moving?

How did we
identify the Journey Property

What are the
plans for renovation and addition of the property?

How are we
handling the parking situation?

What is our
general timeline?

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 6:30 pm.

The location of the meeting is currently To Be Determined (within
the next 24 to 48 hours). As soon as a meeting location is determined, we will
let the Neighborhood Association know accordingly.

Join Kol Rinah for coffee and light dessert, listen to a brief
presentation of the current plans for the property, and answer any questions
you might have about our exciting move into your beautiful neighborhood.

RSVP’s appreciated, (leave voicemail at 314-246-0712), but walk-ins are more than
welcome.

February 18, 2016

'The resident voice won again on Tuesday as the Clayton Plan
Commission voted to not recommend approval of a project of 25 town homes
that’s proposed for a neighborhood of single-family homes.

A
developer wants to build a cluster of town homes with underground
parking at 7501 Maryland Avenue, replacing a school that has been unused
since 1983. The developer is not asking for any tax incentives.

The
city’s planning commission voted 6-1 Tuesday night to recommend that
the Board of Aldermen reject rezoning that would allow the project.
Commission member Joshua Corson was the only one to vote in favor.....(read complete article HERE.)

Consideration of the following applications submitted by
Bruce Korn, Maryland School Town Homes, LLC, owner/developer, to allow the
construction of six buildings containing 25 fee simple townhomes, 50
underground parking spaces and a private street.

1. RezoningPC: A
public hearing to solicit input to rezone the subject property from R-2 Single
Family Dwelling District to R-4 Low-Density Multiple Family Dwelling District.

2. Rezoning PC: A
public hearing to solicit input to rezone the subject property from R-4 Low
Density Multiple Family Dwelling District to a Planned Unit Development
District (PUD).

3. Planned Unit DevelopmentPC:
A public hearing to solicit input regarding the proposed Planned Unit
Development (PUD).
4. Subdivision PlatPC: Consideration of a
major subdivision plat that creates 25 fee simple lots, 48,890 square feet of
common area (including a new private street) and provides an 83-square-foot
right-of-way dedication at the southeast quadrant of the property. The
proposed plat also includes the creation of utility easements on existing lots
addressed 7500-7520 Westmoreland Avenue.

5. Architectural ReviewARB:
Consideration of the design and materials associated with the
proposed townhome development.

Letter to Old Town Clayton neighbors from members of 'Protect Clayton Neighborhoods' .........

Dear Neighbors and Concerned Residents:

Please plan to attend the City Plan Commission meeting on
Tuesday, February 16 at 5:30 pm at City Hall, 10 N. Bemiston, 2nd
Floor. The latest proposal for the Maryland School property will be
presented by the developers. They are requesting an unprecedented upgrade
in zoning that if approved could affect all residential neighborhoods in
Clayton. We hope you will show up to voice your concern and show your
support for following the zoning ordinances and Land Use plans that have long
been in place. The developer’s plan has changed very little since they
received a unanimous negative recommendation on this project last May.
This is a very important time for Clayton with many planned developments
coming to the City. We need to reiterate that only those in accordance
with local and state laws should be approved. This cannot be a
case-by-case assessment process.

Our Mission Statement

This association is formed to enable its members to work together for the best interests of our neighborhoods and the city of Clayton. It will complement the activities of Clayton neighborhood trustees by providing a forum for information sharing and unified action on issues of common interest to Clayton residents.